Emma and Jeff

"They say there's not enough time to catch up by the end of term, so I have to redo two of my courses. That means another year here if I'm gonna graduate."

I gave her a tight squeeze. "Hey, it's not the end of the world. Sure, it's a setback but you'll get through it. I know you can."

"You don't get it, Uncle Jeff. I can't do it. There's no money for another year, not at this school. I can't work and study at the same time and Mum and Dad are broke. Plus, where would I live if we had the money? I can't stay here for two years. That's not fair."

"What are you talking about, Emma? Of course, you can stay here with me. You can stay here for as long as it takes."

"You don't really mean that."

"I'm not lying. In fact, I'll be sorry to see you go after you graduate. I like having you here. An extra year is a bonus, believe me. And as far as the tuition goes, leave that with me. I'm sure we'll figure it out. I need you to concentrate on school. The rest of it will get sorted." She pressed her head against my chest and hugged me tightly. I rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. "I promise."

She looked up at me, put her hand on the back of my neck and kissed my cheek. She held that kiss a lot longer than I expected. "Thanks, Uncle Jeff. I don't know why you're being so good to me."

I took her face between my hands. "Emma, you're family. You're my sister's daughter. That's what families do. We watch out for each other, take care of each other." We sat together quietly for a moment and then she suddenly leaned in and kissed me on the mouth. Instantly her face turned deep red, and she looked away.

"I - I'm sorry, Uncle Jeff. I shouldn't have done that."

I held her face in my hands again and kissed her forehead. "Don't be sorry, Emma. It's been a long time since a beautiful woman kissed me. That was nice."

She looked up at me. "Beautiful? You think I'm beautiful?"

"I do, absolutely. You've grown to be a brilliant, beautiful woman. I'm so proud of you. It meant the world to me when you gave me that kiss on campus your first day. I was sure you'd have rather died than be seen with this old geezer."

Her cheeks flushed again. "Uncle Jeff, you're not old, and I... I'm proud of you too. I really like it here with you."

I gave her forehead one more kiss, then stood up before we got carried away. "Enough of this Mutual Admiration Society stuff. You must be starving. I had a plan for dinner but maybe this is a good night for comfort food in front of the TV. I make a mean mac 'n cheese. How about it?"

She nodded, standing up and heading for the hallway. "That sounds great, Uncle Jeff. I'm gonna go up and get changed."

"I'll give you a yell when it's ready."

We finished dinner in front of the television and sat slouched at either end of the big sofa. Emma had changed into a skin-tight, sleeveless top and cycling shorts. Once again, I tried not to look. It seemed this girl didn't care how revealing her clothes could be when she was around me. I felt conflicted, knowing she was my niece but also knowing it was hard to stay focussed on that fact.

I scrolled the listings, looking for something interesting. "Is there anything you want to see?"

She shrugged. "Not really," as she watched the titles roll by. "Oh, hey! That one. I've heard it's pretty good. How about that one?"

"Sure. I've never heard of it but it's worth a try, right?" I pressed play and settled deeper into the couch. "Hmm, 'horror, gore, frightening scenes... viewer discretion advised.' Are you sure you want to see this?"

"Why, are you scared?" she teased.

I grabbed her bare foot and gave it a good squeeze. "Scared? We'll see who's scared. Bring it on."

It was good, as far as slasher movies go. They're not really my thing but I was willing to give it a try. It was just about finished when she slid across the couch and leaned against me, tucked up in a ball, her knees under her chin.

There was one particularly graphic scene that turned my stomach. Emma hooked her arm in mine and buried her face in my shoulder. "Yuck. Tell me when it's over," she groaned. I felt her breasts press against my arm. I'm ashamed to say that it immediately brought the blood to my groin. She was indeed a beautiful, sensual woman. It was getting more and more difficult to remember she was my niece.

"All clear," I said. She turned back to the TV, then shifted suddenly and laid her head on my lap. My hard cock pressed against her cheek. She immediately sat up again, her eyes fixed on the screen. We both sat silently as the last scenes of the movie played out, trying earnestly to ignore what had just happened. When it was over, she got up and headed for the door without a word.

"Emma? Emma, wait," I said quietly. "Emma, I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting that to happen. I'm sorry."

"Blood and guts get you hard, Uncle Jeff? That's a little creepy, you know."

"No, Emma, that's not it. It had nothing to do with the movie."

"Then what?" she asked. I saw her eyes widen as she realised the true reason. "Oh shit, me? Really, Uncle Jeff? Why?"

"I..." my voice trailed off. She stood there, arms crossed, waiting for an answer. "Look, you're an attractive girl, Emma. My body doesn't care that you're my niece. It's not like I can switch natural reactions off and on. I'm sorry it happened but, honestly, it didn't help that you have nothing on under that shirt."

Without another word, she headed upstairs to her room. I stayed put in the darkness of the den, mortified by what had happened. What the hell was wrong with me? She was my niece for god's sake! How was it possible I could react to her body that way? I crept up the stairs to my bedroom. Her door was shut tight. No surprise there. In fact, I wouldn't have been surprised if she was packing her things, ready to move out in the morning. I was the classic creepy uncle, perving on my own niece. I climbed into bed knowing I wouldn't get a minute of sleep that night.

It was a bright Saturday morning the next day. I sat at the kitchen table with a coffee in hand, dark circles under my eyes. I'd been right. No sleep. I'd tossed and turned all night, getting up, pacing the room, staring out the window, getting back into bed only to repeat the whole routine again and again until the first light of dawn showed on the horizon. I heard Emma come down the stairs. Oh lord, here it comes, I thought. She was wearing exactly what she'd had on the night before. She sat down across from me, elbows on the table, staring at me. I looked up and our eyes met.

"Look, Emma, I'm..."

She held up her hand. "Shush, no. Let me speak." I sat back, wondering what was coming next. "Last night shocked the hell out of me but I'm not mad at you. I get it. It's just something that happened. You're not some dirty old man perving on me. I know that." Her cheeks reddened. "In fact, I... I know this sounds weird but the more I thought about it, if you look at it from all sides, in a strange sort of way it was kind of a compliment, you know? I liked it when you told me I was beautiful. I like that you notice me. You make me feel... I don't know... special."

I reached across the table for her hand. "Thanks, Emma. That means a lot to me, that you don't think I'm some sort of creep. I love you. You know that, right? You're my niece and, for me, that puts you on a pedestal."

She nodded, squeezing my hand. "I love you too, Uncle Jeff. I'm sorry for reacting the way I did."

"So, we're friends again?"

"Friends again," she nodded.

The months passed by. We found our new normal, grew closer, spent free time together. She got me out of the house more often than I had in years, going for hikes and bike rides. We even shared a few dinners together at some of the better places in town. I was always careful around her, conscious of how it appeared to others. Fortunately, we had a family resemblance. People assumed she was my youngest daughter, not some sugar daddy and his hot little number out on a date.

She was even back on speaking terms with her parents and spent a fair amount of time on the phone with them. They seemed much more relaxed, glad to see their daughter getting along so well. They were always sure to tell me how much they appreciated what I was doing for her, that I was a good influence on her. I was happy to tell them that Emma was the same for me. I was in better shape, mentally and physically than I'd been for awhile. Life was good.

It was Reading Week. Exam time was looming, and I could feel the stress building in Emma as she spent hours in her room, flooding her mind with facts and figures, theories and case studies. She truly was a brilliant student, but it wasn't enough, not in her chosen field. She was surrounded by other brilliant minds all striving for the same goal, the same letters after their names, all chasing those rare opportunities in the outside world. I was concerned that she might spiral back into the darkness of her first days here with me. I looked for ways to keep her mind safe and calm.

She'd been in her room for hours one evening when I decided she needed a cup of tea. I brought it upstairs and tapped lightly on her door. No answer. I pushed it open slightly. "Emma?" Still no answer. I peeked around the door and found her slumped over her desk, fast asleep, her cheek resting on a thick reference book. She stirred awake; her eyes were heavy with exhaustion. "Oh, Emma, no. Come on, take a break." I set the hot tea on the desk.

She straightened up and stretched, groaning as she did. "Thanks, Uncle Jeff. That's really thoughtful." She stretched again, straining her neck and shoulders.

"You look like you need a good massage."

"Do you know anyone who does house calls?"

"Well, no, but I've been known to be pretty good at it myself." I hesitated, remembering that night of the movie. "I'd offer but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable about it."

She turned to me. "Uncomfortable? Why'd you say that?"

I shrugged. "I just want you to know there's nothing behind it, that I'm not looking for an excuse to get my hands on you. Okay?"

"It never even crossed my mind." She stood up. "Where do we do this?"

"Lay down on your bed, close to the edge where I can reach you." When she was in position, I stood beside her and placed my fingers lightly on her back. She shivered.

"Hey, that tickles."

I chuckled. "I'm afraid that was the last tickle. Your shoulders and back are hard as rock. This'll take some work. Ready?"

"Ready."

Her groans were muffled by the bed covers as I pressed my hands into the tight knots along her shoulders. My god, she was stressed. It had a vise grip on her body. I slowly worked my way down along her spine, pressing my fingers into those aching muscles, rubbing deeply.

She rose onto her elbows. "Uncle Jeff, it's really hurting when you rub against my shirt. It feels like rug burn. Should I take my top off? Could you use some oil or something?"

"I, ah, well, I, ah... " I stammered.

She twisted around and looked up at me. "It's alright. I know you're not trying anything. I trust you."

"As long as you're okay with it then, yes, bare skin would be better. You do that while I get some oil."

I went for some baby oil in the hall closet and got a jolt when I came back to her room. She'd taken both her top and her jeans off and lay there in bra and panties as if it was the most natural thing to do in front of her uncle. I poured some oil into my hands to warm it, all the while staring across the room instead of at my niece's body. I was determined to not let her curves and porcelain skin affect me. I smoothed the oil across her shoulders and neck, then down her lower back, avoiding her underwear as best I could.

"I should take my bra off. I don't want oil all over it."

"Emma, I don't... "

She rose onto her elbows again and looked at me. "What?"

"Emma, I'm really afraid we might have a repeat of that night with the movie."

Her brow furrowed. "The movie?" Then she realised what I was getting at. "Oh, that movie." She looked at my crotch then back up at me and shrugged. "It's okay, Uncle Jeff, you're only human." She gave me a wide grin. "You can't help it if I have a hot bod."

"Jeez, feel free to embarrass me a little more if you can."

"Aww, I'm sorry. No, really, it's okay. It is what it is. Biology 101, right?"

"You're being awfully casual about it, Emma. Are you sure it won't bother you if it happens?"

She shook her head, then lay face-down on the bed. "It won't, not one bit. Can you undo it for me, please?"

My hands shook as I fumbled with the clasp. When she felt it loosen, she worked her arms up out of the straps, pulled it out from under her and dropped it on the floor. As she lay there, her head on her arms, her breasts bulged out either side of her. Their smooth roundness instantly brought the blood flowing. Within moments I was hard as a rock. I coughed and cleared my throat.

"It's okay, Uncle Jeff."

I got back to work, concentrating as much as possible on the knotted muscles, kneading and pressing, feeling the stress slowly ebb from her body. She groaned now and then if I worked an especially tight area but as time passed, she grew quieter. Thankfully, when I worked her neck and shoulders she brought her arms to her sides, covering that fold of skin under her breast that, for me, has always been one of the most erotic parts of a woman.

I'd been at it for almost half an hour, working down toward her waist, squeezing the stress out of her like toothpaste from a tube. I was at the base of her spine, just about done when she tugged her panties down off her hips.

"Can you go just a little bit lower, please? It feels really good across my hips." I moved down, massaging the fleshy curves at the top of her ass.

"Is that okay?"

She moaned, face-down on the bed, rolled her hips, and brought her arms under herself. I kept at it, staying just above the waistband of her panties. She moaned again, her hips flinched, and I noticed her arms moving under her. Was she...? I stepped away but heard her muffled voice order me to keep going. It was pretty clear what she was doing. I should have stopped but couldn't; I was hypnotized by it, by her boldness. I kept working her hips, pressing deeply as her arms moved underneath her. She moaned again, and this time the muscles in her ass and thighs drew taut. She moaned louder, rolling her hips against the pressure of my hands. Her movements became more urgent. Her feet rose off the bed, toes curled. Suddenly her whole body shuddered, and a gush of water soaked the crotch of her panties.

"Emma?"

She turned her face away from me, her breath ragged. "I - I need you to go now, please. Please. Sorry, I really need you to leave right now."

I closed her door quietly and went to wash the oil off my hands. Sweet Jesus, did that really happen? Did my niece climax while I gave her a massage? She did that right in front of me, and I let her? I looked down at my crotch. My cock was stiff as a rod. Yes, it was all over for me now, there was no hope; I was going to burn in eternal fire for ever more.

Once again, I was at the kitchen table with my morning coffee. She drifted into the room wearing a terrycloth bathrobe pulled tightly around her, hugging herself. When our eyes met, her cheeks flushed bright red. She sat down across from me.

"Good morning, Emma," I said quietly.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Coffee?"

"Yes, please."

As I got up to get her a mug, she started into it. "Uncle Jeff, I owe you an explanation," she said to my back. I sat down across from her again and handed her the coffee.

"Emma, you don't have to explain anything if you don't want to. What happened last night is your own business, no one else's."

"No, I need to tell you why I did it. I mean... you do know what happened, right?"

"I have a pretty good idea, yes," I nodded.

She covered her blushing cheeks with her hands. "It was... umm... " She puffed her cheeks and let the words spill out in a steady stream. "I've been super stressed this last week. I haven't slept much, and this session of exams really has me wired, you know? The more relaxed I got, the more I wanted to, you know, let it out. It was wrong to do it, I know that, and I'm sorry, but I needed it so badly. Fucking hell, that was the best massage I've ever had. I couldn't hold back." She buried her face in her hands. "God, this is so embarrassing."

I sat back, arms crossed, one hand over my mouth. I was trying desperately not to laugh but couldn't hide the grin.

She looked straight at me. "Go ahead. Laugh all you want, ha, ha."

I reached for her hand. "C'mon, Emma, you gotta admit that was funny. A massage so good it made you cum?"

"Okay, maybe, but it's still fucking embarrassing!"

"Hey, it's alright. Nobody's ever going to hear it from me, I can guarantee you that much. And I suppose living under the same roof this way, we're sure to find out things about each other that we might find, um, unexpected, let's say. In my books, that's not so terrible. Like I told you, no judgement, not from me."

She got up and I watched her come around to my side of the table. She bent down, wrapped her arms around me and planted a big kiss on my cheek. "Thanks, Uncle Jeff, you're the best. I'm so glad I'm here. This feels more and more like my real home." She gave me one more kiss and headed back upstairs before I could tell her I felt the same way. Having her here was one of the best things to happen to me in a long, long time.

It was the second week of exams. I barely saw her from day to day. If she wasn't upstairs studying, she was on campus writing or researching, coming home exhausted. We'd have brief conversations over morning coffee or a quick dinner but otherwise, she was practically a ghost. I did keep tabs on her and brought a tray of biscuits and tea to her room when I thought she needed a break. There hadn't been a repeat massage session. I certainly wasn't going to suggest it and I imagined she wasn't in a hurry to relive the memory.

Late one night, in bed, a slideshow of her time with me was running through my head - visions of her in that bathing suit, those t-shirts, the feel of her breasts against my arm, the memory of her climaxing in front of me.... It was dark, only the dim lights of the city coming through the windows. Without thinking beyond immediate need, I kicked the sheets back and used the images of her curves, and the feel of her body to bring myself to the edge. I was stroking fast, breathing hard when I heard the bathroom door close and realised I'd left my own door open. Fuck! I jumped up and closed the door as quietly as I could. I climbed back into bed, frustrated, and fearful that she'd seen me. Great, another restless night.

Emma was a lot quieter than usual over the next few days and spent most of her time in her room. The way she avoided my eyes and kept our conversations to a minimum confirmed that, yes, she had seen me jerking off with my bedroom door wide open. I was no doubt back in the 'pervy uncle' category. This time, though, there was no obvious way of dealing with it. How do you talk to your niece about something like that? I hoped that, in time, the memory would fade, and we'd get back to normal.

A few more days passed and once again I was surfing the channels with a shot of my best whiskey to keep me company when she came in and slumped down into the couch. Her eyes had a sort of glazed look, with dark circles. She stared at the television, silent.

Hoping to rebuild our connection, I reached over and lightly patted the leg she had tucked under herself. "Hey, are you okay? You look all-in."

To my great relief, she slid across the couch and leaned into me, her head on my shoulder. "This is it, Uncle Jeff. I write the last one tomorrow. There's nothing more I can do to get ready. After it's done, I'm coming home to die of exhaustion. You should call the coroner's, give 'em a heads-up."